Vehicle shock-absorber.



HARVEY TEBHOSBST 0l'` MILWAUKEE, WISGONSIN.

VEHICLE SHOCK-ABSORBER.

Specification of Letters Patent. l

Patented J une 6, 1911.

'Application tiled February 3, 1810. Serial No. 541,94?.

To all whom it may concerm Be it known that I, HARVEY Tnnnons'r, ofMilwaukee, Wisconsin, have invented a Ve hicle Shock-Absorber, of whichthe following is a specification.

This invention relates to cushioningde vices for vehicles, to wit, thatclass of devices which is employed to reduce the rebound of thevehicle-.body upon a sudden compression of the body-springs due to thewheels riding over a rough place in the road. I

More particularly my invention relates to rotary dash-pots orshock-absorbers of that type wherein the body is connected with thevehicle-axle by a strap lixedly attached to one of said members and adrum about which thestrap is wound, said drum being mounted in anoscillating manneron the other member and having means for reventing itsrotating suddenly in the unwinding direction and for causing it to beturned automatically in the opposite direction in order to take up anySlack inthe strap. In my invention I provide such a drum mount- .ed on acentral shaft and having an internal chamber adapted to contain liquid,a rotary piston on the shaft, and an abutment mounted on the drum andcoperating with the piston. I further rovide a double cover with anauxiliary c amber between, to receive any leakage through the innercoverand having means for returning the same to the non-compression side ofthe piston.

The nature of my invention will best be understood by' a considerationof the following detailed description taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings illustrative thereof. n

In these drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the complete devicewith the parts of the vehicle with which it is connected; Fig. 2 is afront elevation of the same; Fig. 3 is an axial section through thedrum, the central shaft being shown partly in elevation, as also theplston and abutment; Fig. 1L, is a transverse section through the drumon Athecentral plane of the main chamber; and Fig. 5 is an elevation ofthe drum from the left as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, with the outer coverremoved and the shaft shown in section.

In these drawings every reference letter and numeral refers to the samepart in each Upon the body-frame N of the vehicle is mounted abase-block O, which carries projecting therefrom horizontally astub-shat E fixed against rotation by means of a key T. Upon thisstubshaft is mounted the neck-absorbing drum A, which is hallowed outinternally to form a cylindrical chamber,` as shown in Figs. 3 and 4;which chamber is provided with an inner cover V and an outer cover A',both secured in place by the cap-screws M", and between which is asecondary chamber (see Figs. 3 and 5). To the outer circumference of thedrum is attached a strap B by means of a plate B and screws S, inposition to be wrapped thereon; the other end of said 'strap beingattached in any suitable manner, as by means of clampcollars and boltsD', to the axle O of the vehicle or other appropriate element of therunn1ng-gear.

Upon the stub-shaft E within the main chamber of the drum, is a pistonE' which completely fillsthe bore ofthe cylinder from the center tocircumference on one side; and on the opposite side when the drum is inits normal position, is an abutment G, fixed to the drum A and cover Vby means of screwdowels F, F', and also filling the entire bore of thecylinder from center to circumference. In each of these members E', G,is a passage valve, K and K', hinged at one edge and drawn yieldinglyinto closed position by means of a spring, H and H. These valves, aswill be seen by Figs. 3 and 4, are located so as to open on the sameside of the piston and abutment, to wit, into the left hand one of thetwo subchambcrs in Fig. 4 into which they divide the main chamber; sothat when both chambers are filled with liquid, the drum is `free tomove in a counterclockwise direction, in which the strap B is wound uponit, bv the opening of the valves K, K', produced y an excess of pressurein the right hand cham r; while any tendency of the drum A to turn inthe opposite direction will immedmtely produce a closure of said valvesand will, therefore, be checked by a lack of exit of the liqfuid fromthe left into the right hand chamber. To provide for the gradualyielding of the drum in such case, a passage l isbored in the abutmentC, the eii'ect-ive cross-scction of which passage, and therefore therate of yielding of the drum, may be regulated by means of a screw J,the end of which enters the end of the passage I and which can be turnedfrom the outside. A further exitof the slack ofthe strap B upon thedrum,

I provide a pair of spiral springs L, the inner ends of which aresecuredto the shaft E and the outer ends to suitably placed pins L onthe inner cover V. These springs are confined within the auxiliarychamber of the drum, which thereby serves a double purpose, lirst, ofinclosingy the springend keeping it lubricated and free fromdirt, andsecondly of catching leakage of oil which escapes pastlthe inner cover,caused by the compression within the left-hand or compression-half ofthe main chamber (as seen in Fig. 4;). It should be understood that theauxiliary chamber is not intended to serve as a reservoir orair-chamber, but to retain the oil-leakage and return it to the right-hand or noncompression half of the vmain chamber, which is done bymeans of an aperture X opening into that half. Leakage varound the shaftis prevented by la gland Q,screwed into a threaded recess at the centerof the cover A and inclosing a liquid-tight packing. v

As will be clear from the foregoing description to those skilled in theart, the mode of operation is briefly as follows: Vhen the vehicle-bodyapproaches the axle due to any sudden bump or elevation in the road orthe like, the springs L cause the drum A to turn so as to wind the slackof thestrap B thereon, the valves K K opening in such caseautomaticallyfto equalize the pressure on the two sides of the mainchamber. LA

- compression of the body-springs of the vehicle is produced but thesubsequent rebound which would otherwise result is checked because ofthe strap-connection B,

the sudden pull upon which causes an unwinding-stress upon the drum; butthe valves K' K now close and the liquid is therefore compressed withinthe left-hand half of the cylinder, finding a gradualexit l through thepassages I and IP, land thus that the latter is not otherwise limitedthan by the proper scope of my claims. It will be understood ofcoursethat either the drum or -shaft may be made stationary and the otherrotatable upon it, and that the first member may be connected to theaxle andthe strap to the vehicle body instead of vlce versa as shown.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Ltters Patent is 1. The combination of al shaft, a drumvrotatably mounted thereon and having an internal cylindrical chamber, aradial abutment mounted on said drum within saidchamber, a radial pistonmounted on said shaft within said chamber, an innercoverplate coveringone side of said cylindrical chamber, an outer cover-plate secured oversaid inner cover-plate leaving between them a secondary chamber, therebeing a passage-y way from said secondary chamber to the low pressureside of the piston and a spring within said secondary chamber.

' v2. The combination of a shaft, a drum rotatably mounted thereon andhaving an internal cylindrical chamber, a lradial abutment mounted onsaid drum within said chamber, a radial piston mounted on said shaftwithin said chamber, an inner coverplate covering one side of saidcylindrical chamber, an outer cover-plate secured over said innercover-plate leaving between them a secondary. chamber, there being apassageway from said secondary chamber to the low pressure side of thepistonand a spiral `spring in said secondary chamber having one endsecured to said shaft and the otherI to an element turning with saiddrum.

3. The combination ofa shaft, a drum rotatably mounted thereon andhaving an internal cylindrical chamber, a radial abutment mounted onsaid drum within said chamber, a radial piston mounted on said shaftwithin saidd chamber, an inner coverplate 'covering one's ide of saidcylindrical chamber, an outerfcover secured over said innercover-plateleaving between them a secondary chamber, and a liquid-tightpack--Vw ing between said outer cover and said shaft; there being apassageway from said secondpiston. c

4. The combination of a shaft adapted to be mounted on one part of avehicle, an Velement rotatably mounted thereon and having an" internalcylindrical chamber, a con; nection connected at one end to said elementand adapted to be connected at the ary chamber to the 'low-pressure sideofthe other end to another part of the vehicle g which is movable towardand from the first part, a radial abutment mounted on saidy ele- ,mentwithin said chamber and fllingthe area of the chamber on one side `ofsaid shaft, a radial'piston mounted on said shaft within said chamberand filling thearea of the latter on one side of said shaftj there beinga passage' between the two sfubchambers into which the main chamber isthus named closure-plate .having an aperture 10 divided, a valve closingsaid passage and therein adapted to return to the noncommaintaiuednormally closed and opening in pression su'bchamber oi1\ leaking fromthe one di'ecton only; a closure-plztJ1 closing compression sub-chamber.

said c am er on one si e, a coi e s rin p having one end secured to saidshaft anld th HARVEY TERHORST' other to said closure-plate, and asecondary Witnesses:

plate mounted over said rst-named closure- HEIN TERHoRsT,

plate and nclosing said spring; sadrst- REUBENH. GALLAHER.

